12 Things You Probably Never Knew About E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
6. Harrison Ford's Kids Helped Pick E.T.'s Powers
After agreeing to pen the screenplay at the behest of her
boyfriend (and some extra nudging from producer Kathleen Kennedy), Mathison asked Ford if she could interview his kids and find out exactly what powers the little alien
ought to have according to children, whose point of view being explored was
always tantamount to the film succeeding for Spielberg.
William and Benjamin Ford asked for all the powers you would expect young boys to want from their very own alien, with things like telepathy and telekinesis high up their list of expectations, though Mathison was struck by one of their less Hollywood suggestions, a suggestion that would end up playing a big part in the eventual film.
The kids mentioned that they would like E.T. to have the ability to heal (or “take the owies away” as Mathison put it) and this fit perfectly with the type of extra-terrestrial that Spielberg wanted E.T. to be. A cross section of children were consulted, though the Ford boys' contribution was one that stuck with Mathison all the way through the writing process.